Comments on: Reasons I wanted a Tiny House http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/ A Blog About Early Retirement and Happiness Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:54:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Canadian Dream: Free at 45 » Blog Archives » A Year Already? http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-41376 Canadian Dream: Free at 45 » Blog Archives » A Year Already? Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:58:23 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-41376 [...] to me.  Being a home-owner was very important to my wife (although apparently it had to be a specific sized house), and I warmed up to the idea, eventually.   Together, we have learned to do many new things that [...] [...] to me.  Being a home-owner was very important to my wife (although apparently it had to be a specific sized house), and I warmed up to the idea, eventually.   Together, we have learned to do many new things that [...]

]]> By: Mrs Pillars http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-36331 Mrs Pillars Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:04:46 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-36331 My first house was a one bedroom bungalow with the bathroom in the basement. It was about 450 sqft of living space. It felt like a huge step up to me, coming from a bachelor apartment. My first house was a one bedroom bungalow with the bathroom in the basement. It was about 450 sqft of living space. It felt like a huge step up to me, coming from a bachelor apartment.

]]> By: larry macdonald http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-36060 larry macdonald Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:01:33 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-36060 "This decision came came after my spouse stated explicitly “I will not live in a garden shed no matter how ‘cool’ you think it is”." Thanks Tim, it's been awhile since something I read made me laugh out loud like this sentence did. “This decision came came after my spouse stated explicitly “I will not live in a garden shed no matter how ‘cool’ you think it is”.”

Thanks Tim, it’s been awhile since something I read made me laugh out loud like this sentence did.

]]> By: Pam http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35954 Pam Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:26:25 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35954 I'm single, 25, and I live in a barely 500 sq foot condo. It's perfect for me (although I do hit my shins on my bed sometimes while trying to navigate to my closet). I can't entertain very well in my actual apartment, but my condo building has a rooftop patio with barbecues and a party room that have been great get-together spaces. I have a dishwasher, washer/dryer, coat closet, full bathroom...everything I need. I used to own a two-storey + basement 1800 sq foot house with my ex and it was much too large for us. We got sucked into the idea of bigger is better - we wanted a guest bedroom, massive ensuite bathroom, office, den, tv room etc etc. It was just way too much space. Impossible to keep clean, and we only used a few of the rooms. I'll never live in that big of a space ever again. I’m single, 25, and I live in a barely 500 sq foot condo. It’s perfect for me (although I do hit my shins on my bed sometimes while trying to navigate to my closet). I can’t entertain very well in my actual apartment, but my condo building has a rooftop patio with barbecues and a party room that have been great get-together spaces.

I have a dishwasher, washer/dryer, coat closet, full bathroom…everything I need.

I used to own a two-storey + basement 1800 sq foot house with my ex and it was much too large for us. We got sucked into the idea of bigger is better – we wanted a guest bedroom, massive ensuite bathroom, office, den, tv room etc etc. It was just way too much space. Impossible to keep clean, and we only used a few of the rooms. I’ll never live in that big of a space ever again.

]]> By: dlm http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35799 dlm Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35799 Jaqjolie: Re sound of TV: we've used headphones for years, so never have to listen to the sound of the TV or commercials. Jaqjolie: Re sound of TV: we’ve used headphones for years, so never have to listen to the sound of the TV or commercials.

]]> By: Dave http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35729 Dave Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:34:16 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35729 @ Tim's Wife - she didn't even let me down easy on it either..... @ DabCan - I've seen apartments in New York at around 200 square feet. The Sustain homes are cool - I like the 100% green materials and the ability to live off-the-grid too. @ Astin - I think that this is where my wife's apprehension came from - she is not such a big fan of the bed being in a loft above the kitchen/bathroom. @ Kym - We live close to our workplaces - I wanted a place I could bicycle to - I was not overly interested in a long commute that would be needed to own a plot of land outside of the city. @degee - when we were looking at houses, it seems that it's a challenge for most people to use their space efficiently - we saw a lot of houses where we couldn't tell how big the closets were because they were stuffed with "things". @ Tim’s Wife – she didn’t even let me down easy on it either…..

@ DabCan – I’ve seen apartments in New York at around 200 square feet.

The Sustain homes are cool – I like the 100% green materials and the ability to live off-the-grid too.

@ Astin – I think that this is where my wife’s apprehension came from – she is not such a big fan of the bed being in a loft above the kitchen/bathroom.

@ Kym – We live close to our workplaces – I wanted a place I could bicycle to – I was not overly interested in a long commute that would be needed to own a plot of land outside of the city.

@degee – when we were looking at houses, it seems that it’s a challenge for most people to use their space efficiently – we saw a lot of houses where we couldn’t tell how big the closets were because they were stuffed with “things”.

]]> By: Dave http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35728 Dave Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:21:24 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35728 @ Traciatim - The good thing about the tiny houses is if you don't initially build them on a trailer, they would be super easy to float just about anywhere - if I had to move, I could take it with me :) @ Jazmin - We are the friends that would be visiting you, rather then everyone coming to our house - we drive all over the province to visit people (this summer we weren't home on weekends from the end of June until the middle of September) - it's easier for us to go visit people with kids, weekend jobs, cottages :) etc. then for our families and friends to come visit us. If our house was getting cramped a large majority of the time, I would probably think about bigger, but that's just not the case. @ jacqjolie - The $20k was off the Tumbleweed site - I'm not sure how close it would be, but even at double that, it would be 1/4 the cost to build and much cheaper to maintain then a larger house. @ Guinness - My wife says that I can live in one, if I'm single, but she will not live in it with me..... GRS actually had 2 posts on small houses today (one in the afternoon as well) - what are the odds? I wrote this about a month ago too, just happened to be the one I decided to post today..... @ Traciatim – The good thing about the tiny houses is if you don’t initially build them on a trailer, they would be super easy to float just about anywhere – if I had to move, I could take it with me :)

@ Jazmin – We are the friends that would be visiting you, rather then everyone coming to our house – we drive all over the province to visit people (this summer we weren’t home on weekends from the end of June until the middle of September) – it’s easier for us to go visit people with kids, weekend jobs, cottages :) etc. then for our families and friends to come visit us. If our house was getting cramped a large majority of the time, I would probably think about bigger, but that’s just not the case.

@ jacqjolie – The $20k was off the Tumbleweed site – I’m not sure how close it would be, but even at double that, it would be 1/4 the cost to build and much cheaper to maintain then a larger house.

@ Guinness – My wife says that I can live in one, if I’m single, but she will not live in it with me…..
GRS actually had 2 posts on small houses today (one in the afternoon as well) – what are the odds? I wrote this about a month ago too, just happened to be the one I decided to post today…..

]]> By: Traciatim http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35722 Traciatim Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:03:44 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35722 Wow, those sustain.ca homes are incredibly expensive. They actually advertise they sell custom 12x36 models from $270 a sq foot. We have a local construction company where I live that has a basic home building service for custom floor plan homes at $99.95 a square foot, and I'm sure they could do piles of custom work for less than $150 a sq foot, include a solar hot water preheating and home heating system, with tied in electric hot water and wood heat backup and your probably still under 200 a square foot. Wow, those sustain.ca homes are incredibly expensive. They actually advertise they sell custom 12×36 models from $270 a sq foot. We have a local construction company where I live that has a basic home building service for custom floor plan homes at $99.95 a square foot, and I’m sure they could do piles of custom work for less than $150 a sq foot, include a solar hot water preheating and home heating system, with tied in electric hot water and wood heat backup and your probably still under 200 a square foot.

]]> By: deegee http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35721 deegee Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:50:56 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35721 I live in a studio apartment in a co-op complex. It is about 625 square feet, counting the small kitchen, closets, and bathroom. Having a low maintenance on it helped me save lots of money in the 20 years I have owned it. However, had I waited one more year before I bought it in 1989 (before the housing market and interest rates fell sharply), I could have bought a 1-bedroom for the same price and lived a little more comfortably despite a higher maintenance. It has always been a challenge to use my limited space efficiently, including changing how much furniture I have here as well as making room for big toys such as a computer table and dishwasher. But I have managed. I live in a studio apartment in a co-op complex. It is about 625 square feet, counting the small kitchen, closets, and bathroom. Having a low maintenance on it helped me save lots of money in the 20 years I have owned it. However, had I waited one more year before I bought it in 1989 (before the housing market and interest rates fell sharply), I could have bought a 1-bedroom for the same price and lived a little more comfortably despite a higher maintenance.

It has always been a challenge to use my limited space efficiently, including changing how much furniture I have here as well as making room for big toys such as a computer table and dishwasher. But I have managed.

]]> By: Kym http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/2009/11/17/reasons-i-wanted-a-tiny-house/comment-page-1/#comment-35717 Kym Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:36:36 +0000 http://blog.canadian-dream-free-at-45.com/?p=1078#comment-35717 I am single, living in a 775 sq. ft. apartment that I find is entirely too large for my needs. The bedroom fits not only my queen size bed, but also a largish dresser and a small couch, with room left over for a coffee table there if I wanted to put one there, but I only sleep in there. My desk and table are set up in the dining room, and that's where I spend most of my waking hours. Since I don't own a television I find little use for sitting in the living room, so it's mainly used as storage space. I love looking at the Ikea models for living in small spaces, and feel like I'd be much more comfortable living in 150-300 sq. ft., but 775 is the smallest place I was able to find that is close to work. I don't think the commute-time tradeoff for getting a small RV/mobile/manufactured home on some land (that would have to be outside the city limits) is worthwhile. That said, the size of my space (too large) has an impact on how I live in it. Large empty spaces make me uncomfortable, so I have a tendency to fill the place up with random clutter. I think my 775 sq. ft. is probably perfect for 2 people (or 2 adults and a small child), but far too much for 1. I am single, living in a 775 sq. ft. apartment that I find is entirely too large for my needs. The bedroom fits not only my queen size bed, but also a largish dresser and a small couch, with room left over for a coffee table there if I wanted to put one there, but I only sleep in there. My desk and table are set up in the dining room, and that’s where I spend most of my waking hours. Since I don’t own a television I find little use for sitting in the living room, so it’s mainly used as storage space.

I love looking at the Ikea models for living in small spaces, and feel like I’d be much more comfortable living in 150-300 sq. ft., but 775 is the smallest place I was able to find that is close to work. I don’t think the commute-time tradeoff for getting a small RV/mobile/manufactured home on some land (that would have to be outside the city limits) is worthwhile.

That said, the size of my space (too large) has an impact on how I live in it. Large empty spaces make me uncomfortable, so I have a tendency to fill the place up with random clutter. I think my 775 sq. ft. is probably perfect for 2 people (or 2 adults and a small child), but far too much for 1.

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